www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) I just learned that our dear friend and tireless promoter of alpine snowboarding has passed away. Many of you know Doug from his adventures in Tahoe, Bend, Oregon and Hawaii. He has been involved in so many sports and made friends all over the world. Doug was always quick to help new riders, his enthusiasm was deep, genuine and infectious. Please feel free to post a remembrance story. His last residence was in Hawaii. Rest in peace Doug. Your friend, Bryan <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kLF6aosPfbo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> http://www.bendbulletin.com/article/20090527/SPORTS05/905270368/ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2026&dat=20051007&id=U9gyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GPAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2579,908671 http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?20303-Big-Guns-Doug-Dryer-in-town-and-cover-of-Aspen-Times http://www.alpinecarving.com/carve.html http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?13717-Doug-Dryer-Big-Kahuna-on-the-front-page Edited June 3, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 This was just a total bummer to see... shared some runs and love for the joy of riding at Milk when he came with the Big Stick a number of years ago...just incredible to watch his skill flying down Racers edge at full speed cranking carves...he was a master in so many ways... Aloha and Mahalo Doug... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 What happened? I met Doug 3 years ago when I moved to Bend, I can't tell you how many people see me on alpine gear and ask me if I know Doug. I had beers with him but never got the chance to ride with him. The last I heard, he separated from his wife and moved to Mauii. He is a legend around here not only amongst boarders but also skiers who have seen him ride. I have ridden the chair with 60-70 year old skiers that tell me they don't respect boarders " but there was this guy named Doug." He was a true craftsman and woodworker and such a bad ass that I was scared to ride with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Wow, so sad to read. Doug was a super great guy always with a smile on his face. :( We'll definitely miss him. ~aloha ~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I only knew Doug from the times I went to Bachelor,but he was always great to me and had incredibly interesting things to say.He made this niche of ours look cool and helped to advance the cause.Rest in peace,Doug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Wow, I'm so sorry to read this. I didn't know Doug well, but I shared the chair with him at Bachelor a few times, and I have a ton of admiration for the way he represented our sport and for his skills as a rider. Rest in peace, Doug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) This is a huge loss of a great guy and an advocate for hard booting. We worked with Doug to get him a small fleet of boots he could use to get people to try the sport. He would take his own time to go out and show people how to use the gear. He was doing this at both Mnt. Rose (Tahoe) and Bachelor over the many years we knew him. Always optimistic and had a smile on his face. Loved the sport and was always doing something crazy and trying new things. Below is a picture of him water skiing with a full alpine set-up! And another of him in our shop with his HUGE quiver of crazy decks that barely fit though our door. And amazing guy that we will miss. You are now an Arc Angel Doug..... Edited June 3, 2013 by fin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) FYI. As a reference, Doug was over 6' tall, I believe the F2 is a 196cm that is very heavy (with early Tinkler plate) and the board line up at BOMBER INDUSTRIES from left to right , 282cm, 252cm, 222cm, 201cm , the 201cm was the first Tinkler "SYSTEM" board Mike built after Doug and I pressed him to start building boards. The 222cm- I did get the honor of riding it one day! Doug kept his boards in PERFECT condition at all times and it was base flat and VERY sharp. I definitely needed to be paying attention but it was a blast!! The 252cm is the board in the video above. The video/ photos are from the first run / day out on it. It was his go to board. The 282cm is likely the longest real snowboard ever produced and ridden. Doug definitely enjoyed the challenge and lived to push the envelope of what is possible. Bryan Edited June 3, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Ong Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I met Doug in his first year of hardbooting at squaw, raichle flexon comps and all . He liked to say that i was the first alpine snowboarder he ever saw. He was a tireless promoter in the tahoe basin and no one turned more people on to the joys of carving than Doug. I have great memories of all the runs we took together and will miss him greatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heroshmero Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 RIP Doug. Does anybody know what happened? He seemed to be in good health before he left Bend for Hawaii. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Very Sad. I was always awestruck when ever I saw him riding one of his monsters down Beverly Hills from the summit of Bachelor. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Sad news. I never met the man, but admired his experiments in snowboarding. Condolences to his family and friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Very Sad. I was always awestruck when ever I saw him riding one of his monsters down Beverly Hills from the summit of Bachelor. RIP. I had in my hands, for a short time, a video taken of Doug on a near perfect day absolutely RIPPIN top to bottom off Summit Lift. He grabbed a pro videographer and it was truly great footage. While I found a way to transfer and edit the raw footage some not so nice things where said here and Doug made me swear to never post here anything about his doings. A real shame, most of those causing the hurt feelings have left BOL long ago and now Doug is gone. After talking it over with friends I believed it was reasonable to now mention Doug. Although he has not been active here for years, he was still ripping it and enjoying alpine a great deal. He was a kindred spirit and a very fine person. I miss his laughter and kindness already. This is a great place , great people , just keep in mind it is not forever. Enjoy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I met Doug in his first year of hardbooting at squaw, raichle flexon comps and all . He liked to say that i was the first alpine snowboarder he ever saw.He was a tireless promoter in the tahoe basin and no one turned more people on to the joys of carving than Doug. I have great memories of all the runs we took together and will miss him greatly. James, he often spoke of those days, he quickly gave you credit and praise for igniting his love for alpine. As I , he held you in the highest regards. Make a run for Doug would you? Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 Very sorry to hear this. Never met him but I always thought he looked like a fun guy. Pretty sure he had the biggest stick on the forum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 As Fin mentioned, Doug visited our shop a few years ago. He left us with this pic, which gets a lot of comments on the "wall of fame" (which is housed in the bathroom) here at Bomber. Sorry of the quality, it's a picture of a picture but I think you can see it ok. Yes, he's carving with a beer in his hand. Carve on Doug. We miss you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. sandman Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 An absolute shame. I haven't been on BOL for quite some time & just happened to step in today... what a bummer for the carving community. I never had the pleasure to meet Doug in person, however I spoke to him several times on the phone and purchased several boards from him for my self and my student athletes/racers. Doug was always gracious in giving whatever info he could and helping in any way possible. We have lost a true steward to our sport, and an exceptional human. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Peace be with you Doug. Dan Sandy (p.s. in my avatar, the white Donek FC with "The Horse" and BOMBER included in the graphics came from Doug and is my go-to board to this day) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted June 9, 2013 Report Share Posted June 9, 2013 Vary sorry to here of Dougs passing, what a loss for the carving community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecarve Posted June 13, 2013 Report Share Posted June 13, 2013 (edited) I met Doug forever ago in Tahoe…he saw my alpine-gear-in-freeride-configuration and asked, "Why are you riding with your binding angles so low?" Um. I don't know. Carving? What's that? I took a lesson from him the following season - I couldn't believe how low he was riding…both forearms on the snow on every turn. And made it look effortless. What a super nice guy and really committed to helping other people. Without his help I probably would have swapped back to softboots without a clue of what I had. Now carving is easily the best skill I have (though nowhere near his level). Thanks, Doug. Edited June 13, 2013 by joecarve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) I was pleased to receive an email from a friend of Doug's today it reads: Bryan, I'm a friend of Doug Dryer here on Maui. Thank you for letting people know via Bomber Online about Doug passing away. I've shared the thread, and his family is very touched. Doug would have been blown away and so happy to know how much you all cared! Can't believe he's gone, he was all heart. Very sad. Thanks to all who remember him---as Doug would say, Love and Aloha. Suki I'm touched to help make the connection, so that the people who wrote so beautifully about Doug will know that their words have reached his family and friends here. There is going to be a celebration of Doug's life here on Saturday. I will print a copy of the thread on Friday and bring it with me to the ceremony. Edited June 18, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Really sorry to hear...Did not know him but always watched with pleasure his experiments with gear and riding style...Very inspirational and in the spirit of the sport! Nils from far away France Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Suki emailed me today and asked: -if any of Doug's friends would like to send messages for the Celebration of Life, I would be happy to print them and bring copies to the celebration. You are welcome to send them to me via PM and I can pass them along or you are welcome to post them here. Suki plans to gleam the posts and read them aloud at the Celebration of Life for Doug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Through a mutual friend I was invited to Doug's home to see some of his quiver of alpine boards. Being a bit of a collector and somewhat knowledgeable of all things snowboarding. Doug is showing me a line up of some of his prized boards. As he described them and their characteristics I wondered to myself "how would he know, these boards are all brand new, never ridden". Finally after listening to Doug describe each board in detail I could not help myself any longer. (Fortunately I didn't say something I would later regret, nor offend a new friend that was gracious enough to invite me into his home) I asked Doug "Do you have duplicates of each board that you ride? Otherwise how would you know how they ride? These are all brand new!" . He just smiled proudly and said, "no, I have ridden all these boards, I just take good care of them" UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!!! Now keep in mind, I am pretty darn fussy I am told and treat my boards with care, but Doug is without a doubt the most particular person I have ever met. His attention to detail is unmatched. At the time Bomber TD1 were THE binding to have. He had always used a special Teflon disc under the bindings to protect the top sheet from scratches. His boards were tuned to perfection. Years later when Doug offered to let me ride his Tinkler 222cm snowboards I was scared to death to damage it, that and it was sharp tip to tail and SO FAST. He had picked ideal conditions, hit it hard and fast in the am and once folks started to show up we switched to other boards. I guess that is two stories. Just thought of another. About 5 - 6 years ago I had a pretty bad shoulder injury. It was a great powder day and I wanted to ride BAD. In a sling, I could not release my bindings at the bottom. Doug and I rode together all day and he would come over and pull the release on my rear binding at the bottom each run. He understood how important it was to me and was happy to help make it happen that day. Thanks Doug!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Long boards rule! Doug was pushing the limits. He'll be missed. RIP (and thanks for the storys here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted August 8, 2013 Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 I had in my hands, for a short time, a video taken of Doug on a near perfect day absolutely RIPPIN top to bottom off Summit Lift. He grabbed a pro videographer and it was truly great footage. While I found a way to transfer and edit the raw footage some not so nice things where said here and Doug made me swear to never post here anything about his doings. A real shame, most of those causing the hurt feelings have left BOL long ago and now Doug is gone. After talking it over with friends I believed it was reasonable to now mention Doug. Although he has not been active here for years, he was still ripping it and enjoying alpine a great deal. He was a kindred spirit and a very fine person. I miss his laughter and kindness already. This is a great place , great people , just keep in mind it is not forever. Enjoy!!! Now that explains why I didn't get to see him often here for I've always wanted to try his tickler system. Godspeed to Mr. Dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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